Max charges from P11 onto the podium

Published on 12 October 2014 by Stefan Meens

After securing a double pole in qualifying on Saturday, Max Verstappen continued to impress after he charged from P11 to second in race 2 of the FIA Formula 3 European Championship round at Imola. Despite grapping pole position for the race, the 17-year-old F1 rookie was forced to start from eleventh due to a, the last of three, 10-place grid penalty. Nevertheless, Max was able to score plenty of points.

“I'm thrilled with this race especially considering I came all the way from P11 and the fact that Imola isn’t an easy track to overtake on. We had great speed from the start so I was really able to attack”, said the Van Amersfoort Racing driver.

Max has a great start and an equally impressive first lap in which he works his way up to eighth. “In the beginning of the race, there were a couple of damp patches on the track so I studied beforehand were the grip would be. Conditions like these give you the chance to overtake because you can really make a difference as a driver .”

Max closes the gap to Jake Dennis and passes him with a swift move, granting him P7. A couple of laps later, the rapid Dutchman claims sixth after overtaking William Buller on lap five. Moments later, Alexander Toril is forced to stop his car at Piratella in an inconvenient spot, prompting a safety car.

At the restart, Max is right on the tail of Prema Powerteam driver Nicholas Latifi. Once again, Max does not waste any time. He overtakes the Canadian at the first opportunity, on the way into Tamburello. The next driver ahead is championship leader Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman is unable to fend of the 17-year-old as he is passed on the outside of, once again, Tamburello. “The Prema Powerteam boys are difficult to overtake but Ocon braked early so I could easily pass him”, explains Max.

Meanwhile, third placed Antonio Fuoco is forced to make a pit stop due to left rear wheel issues. The Italian's troubles give Max P3. At the front it is the Jagonya Ayam with Carlin duo Tom Blomqvist and Antonio Giovinazzi leading the way. The Briton has established a comfortable lead and he cruises to victory. His Italian team mate is under huge pressure from Max who has closed the gap by putting in a couple of fastest laps. In a thrilling duel, Max manages to pass Giovinazzi on the final run to the start/finish line clinching second place with the smallest of margins, 0.019s.

“Antonio defended very well on the run down to Tamburello and it was difficult to keep up with him in the middle sector. However, in the final corner he went a bit wide. He hit a bit of grass, resulting in wheel spin. It looked like he took his foot of the throttle because he thought the race was over but I just kept my foot down giving me P2. A great result.” 

Via Twitter and Facebook we will keep you updated throughout the weekend, followed by a full report on Verstappen.nl at the end of the day’s action. 

The full schedule for the Imola Euro F3 round can be found here.
Furthermore, you can follow Max via the official live timing and the livestream (races only).

FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 10 – Imola - Day 3, Sunday 12 October:
Results race 2